TEACHER VOICE: I didn’t think I needed the help or advice, but a new literacy teaching coach from afar gave me the self-confidence I lacked – The Hechinger Report

Report on an Early Literacy Intervention Program in Rural Missouri and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

This report analyzes the implementation and impact of a targeted literacy coaching program within a rural Missouri elementary school. The case study highlights significant improvements in educational outcomes and teacher efficacy, demonstrating a strong alignment with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Program Analysis and Contribution to SDG 4: Quality Education

The initiative focused on providing specialized support to teachers transitioning to a “science of reading” curriculum. This directly addresses SDG Target 4.c, which aims to increase the supply of qualified teachers through professional development.

H3: Intervention Strategy

• Program: The Rural Schools Early Literacy Collaborative, a pilot program.
• Provider: A literacy coach from The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a nonprofit organization.
• Methodology: A coach with direct, relevant curriculum experience provided monthly, in-person support to a kindergarten teacher over one academic year.
• Objective: To build teacher capacity, improve instructional effectiveness, and enhance student literacy in alignment with state-wide educational reforms.

H3: Measurable Educational Outcomes

The program yielded substantial and quantifiable improvements in student literacy, a primary indicator of quality education (SDG 4). The data from the participating school demonstrates the program’s success:

1. The percentage of kindergarten students reading on grade level increased from 82% to 98%.
2. The percentage of first-grade students reading on grade level increased from 41% to 84%.
3. Across the pilot program, participating students achieved learning gains that were, on average, more than double the typical annual growth.

Addressing Inequalities and Fostering Partnerships (SDG 10 & SDG 17)

The program’s design and context are directly relevant to the goals of reducing inequality and promoting collaborative partnerships.

H3: Reducing Rural Disparities (SDG 10)

By targeting a rural school in St. James, Missouri, the initiative directly addresses educational inequalities that often exist between rural and urban communities. Providing access to high-quality, specialized coaching helps to close learning gaps and ensures that students in underserved areas receive an equitable, quality education, in line with SDG Target 10.2.

H3: A Model for Effective Partnerships (SDG 17)

The success of the intervention was predicated on a multi-stakeholder partnership between a nonprofit organization (TNTP) and a public school system. This collaboration exemplifies SDG 17 by leveraging external expertise to build local capacity and achieve shared educational objectives.

Broader Implications for Gender Equality (SDG 5)

The report originates from the perspective of a male kindergarten teacher, a significant demographic minority in early childhood education. While not the program’s primary focus, its success has implications for SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

H3: Promoting Diversity in the Teaching Profession

• The teacher’s initial isolation highlights gender imbalances within the education sector.
• Effective, tailored support systems, such as the coaching described, can improve job satisfaction and retention for all educators, potentially making the profession more attractive and sustainable for underrepresented genders.
• Fostering an inclusive and supportive professional environment is crucial for challenging gender stereotypes in career roles, contributing to the broader aims of SDG 5.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The entire article focuses on improving the quality of early childhood education. It discusses teacher training, new teaching methodologies (“science of reading”), professional support through literacy coaches, and the direct impact on student learning outcomes, specifically literacy.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• The author explicitly highlights a gender imbalance in the teaching profession, particularly in early education. He states, “I was the only guy in my education classes… and until this year I was the only male out of nearly 100 teachers in my school.” This points to gender-based stereotypes and a lack of gender diversity within this specific sector of public life.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The article is set in a rural context (“St. James, Missouri, population 3,900”) and mentions the “learning gaps that exist in my kindergarten classroom.” The pilot program, the “Rural Schools Early Literacy Collaborative,” is specifically designed to address the unique challenges and inequalities faced by students and teachers in rural areas, aiming to close the educational gap between them and their non-rural counterparts.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. The program’s goal is to improve literacy instruction to ensure kindergarten and first-grade students achieve proficiency in reading, which is a foundational and effective learning outcome for primary education.
• Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers… through international cooperation for teacher training. While the context is not international cooperation, the principle of increasing the supply of qualified teachers through enhanced training is central. The article describes a literacy coaching program and a statewide initiative to train “over 15,000 teachers” in the “science of reading,” directly addressing the need for better-qualified and supported educators.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. The article highlights the inverse of this issue: the underrepresentation of men in the early education profession. The author’s experience of being treated “like a unicorn” and put “in a box” speaks to the challenges of achieving gender balance and breaking stereotypes in all sectors of public life.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… economic or other status. The focus on a rural school district through the “Rural Schools Early Literacy Collaborative” is a direct effort to reduce educational inequalities based on geographic location, ensuring that students in these areas are not left behind and have the same opportunities for quality education.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

• Indicator related to Target 4.1: The article provides precise quantitative data to measure learning outcomes.
  • “The percentage of kindergartners reading on grade level went from 82 percent in the fall to 98 percent in the spring.”
  • “The percentage of first graders on grade level went from 41 percent to 84 percent.”
  • “Those students, on average, made gains that were more than double typical annual growth.”

  These statistics are direct measures of the proportion of children achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading at the end of early primary grades.

• Indicator related to Target 4.c: The article mentions a specific number for teacher training.
  • “The state says that over 15,000 teachers may get trained in the science of reading.”

  This number serves as an indicator for the proportion of teachers receiving in-service training to enhance their qualifications.

Indicator for SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

• Indicator related to Target 5.5: The author’s personal account implies a measurable indicator.
  • “I was the only male out of nearly 100 teachers in my school.”

  This points to the “Proportion of male teachers in early childhood education” as an indicator to track gender balance in the profession.

Indicator for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

• Indicator related to Target 10.2: Progress is measured by the improvement of educational outcomes specifically within a disadvantaged group (rural students).
  • The significant increase in grade-level reading proficiency (e.g., from 41% to 84% for first graders) within the rural schools participating in the pilot program serves as a direct indicator of reducing inequalities of outcome.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hechingerreport.org